My Lucky Stars
by PhoebeSnow
Summary: Molly meets an interesting man at her job.


Molly frowned as she held her cell phone to her ear. She had been lying in bed, watching old movies when her boss called and begged her to take the midday shift.

"Mary, I can't come in to work today! I'm still sick, remember?" Maybe not 'contagious sick', but 'too lazy to get out of bed and do anything for a few days' sick. Not that Molly was going to tell her friend that.

"I know, I know and I feel like an arse for asking, but Janine's water broke while she was working."

"Oh, my God. Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack! I had to text Tom to come and get her before she gave birth right there in the cafe!"

"But she's early!"

Mary chuckled over the phone. "No one told the baby that."

"Funny. Isn't there someone else you can call? I'm really not up to working."

 _Wow, you are such a lazy bones._

"I swear on my grandmother's grave, there is literally nobody else I can call. You're the last person on my list."

Molly sighed, rubbing her forehead. She probably could work Janine's shift, but she was a little tired and in the mood to relax. "I dunno..."

"Look, all you have to do is come to the cafe and work until closing time, so you wouldn't be on a full shift. Did I forget to mention that you'd get double pay for it?"

That perked Molly up. Even though she _really_ wanted to stay home, watch trashy tv soaps and eat popcorn, the siren song of extra pay was too irresistible. And she could always take the stool out if she needed to sit down while she was working.

Her mind made up, Molly threw her covers back and jumped out of bed with renewed energy. "I'll be there in ten!"

Sure enough, in ten minutes, Molly was at Mary's Cafe with her employee smock on and a pep in her step. She'd taken a couple echinacea pills with water an hour ago, so that gave her immune system a boost. Mary hugged her when she saw her come into the building.

"Oh, Molls! You are a lifesaver, thank you!"

"How could I turn down my boss when she needs my help?"

"Please. You're only here because I told you that I'd pay you double."

"True, but it's the thought that counts."

Mary laughed and rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Alright, look. I have to get home and make some dinner. Will I see you Tuesday?"

"Definitely."

"Alright, love. Bye." The blonde gave Molly another hug, a kiss on the cheek and she was gone.

The hours passed in what seemed like no time at all. You'd think that working as a cashier/baker would be a slow process, but not today. Besides all the extra customers, there were a few regulars who came in with their usual orders.

And then, towards the latter part of Molly's shift, a another new customer walked inside. She stared at him a bit shamelessly and so did a few other women in the cafe. The man was tall and slender, with beautiful black curls stop his head and the most brilliant blue-green eyes she'd ever seen. He wore a belstaff, a tight purple shirt and his black tailored pants and dress shoes gave off the impression that he was going to a special event.

Molly cleared her throat and gave him her trademark smile - although, it was a bit brighter and wider than usual. "Hello. May I help you?"

He glanced at her name tag. "Yes, Molly. I would like a cup of your cinnamon roast coffee. I've heard from several people that it tastes quite good and I decided that I should buy one and judge it for myself."

The brunette laughed lightly as she turned to put the coffee grounds in the coffeemaker on the back counter. Over her shoulder, she replied, "I think you'll agree with your friends when you taste it. We make excellent coffee here."

"But how am I to take your words seriously? You work here, so it makes sense that you would promote your cafe in a positive light."

Instead of getting angry, Molly smirked. She never met any customers who challenged her recommendations of the foo, so she couldn't help feeling amused and intrigued by him. "That's true, except I don't blatantly lie to make the cafe seem better than it is. False advertisement is never a good thing."

He looked at her, eyes seeming to probe her. Then his posture relaxed and he nodded approvingly. "I believe you. You have an honest face and your eyes are too truthful. It takes practice to lie well and I can see you don't have it."

Molly snorted. How unladylike. "Oh, God. You sound like a psychiatrist."

"Nope," he responded, popping the 'p'. "I'm a consulting detective."

" _Consulting?_ You're not employed by the police?"

"Not officially, but I assist them whenever they're out of their depth, which is always."

"But you're a civilian. How can you be any better than a regular police detective?"

A light laugh came from his lips and Molly bit her lip. He had a lovely laugh.

"Because they overlook things all the time. They barely know how to observe, to deduce situations and people."

"And you do?"

"Precisely."

The coffeemaker dinged, alerting Molly that the coffee was ready and she went back to pour the liquid into a special styrofoam cup. "I dunno. You sound arrogant to me, but maybe I'm reading you incorrectly."

"You wouldn't be the first person to do that."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Molly smirked and then, mentally kicked herself. She was flirting with a man she didn't even know! At least he wasn't some random guy off the street, but still. "Do you want sugar or cream?"

"I'll just take it black, thank you. I think I'll purchase one of these sweets from you as well." He sighed. "What I wouldn't give for a ginger nut."

"Yeah. There are certain comforts from home that I really miss, but have you tried snickerdoodles? They're a passable substitute."

"I can't say that I have."

Molly pursed her lips and motioned to the plastic cookie container on the counter. "Tell you what. I'll give you a cookie on the house."

He blinked once, twice and then, shook his head. "No, no. I couldn't let you do that."

"Well, seeing as how I'm the one giving you the freebie, you should really just take it and say thank you." Molly saw the mild resistance on his face and sighed. "Look, my boss allows new customers to have one free item on their first visit. Okay? And we don't know each other, but you can trust that I wouldn't chase a customer away with a bad cookie."

"When you put it that way, it makes sense."

"So do you want the cookie?"

"Yes."

"Good." Molly put a clear glove on her hand and opened the container, removed a single snickerdoodle and placed it on a napkin. She handed it to him and he accepted with a small smile.

"Thank you." He bit into the cookie and chewed thoughtfully without saying a word. He took a few more bites until the cookie was completely gone. "Not as good as a ginger nut, but you were right. They're suitable as a substitute. How much are they?"

"One-fifty, each."

"I'll buy a dozen."

"Alright, just give me a moment." Molly hurriedly went to the warming trays in the bottom oven and took out twelve snickerdoodles, putting them into a take out container, closing and sealing it with a price sticker. She turned around to face her handsome curly haired customer and set the box on the counter, entering a few buttons on the cash register. "That'll be nineteen twenty-seven."

He reached into his back pocket, took out a twenty dollar bill and handed it to Molly. The brunette accepted it and gave him his change and receipt. "Seventy-three cents is your change and thank you for coming to Mary's Cafe."

"Thank you," he replied, picking up his cookies and nodding at her.

"You're welcome." Molly's eyes followed him as he walked to the front door, but then, he stopped and swiveled to look at her again. Luckily, there were no other customers waiting at the moment, so her attention was free. "Did you forget something?"

"Yep. My name. I'm Sherlock Holmes."

"Ah, it's nice to formally meet you, Mr. Holmes."

He waved his hand. "No need for cordialities. Just call me Sherlock. You'll be seeing me here often enough in the future."

Were those heart palpitations? Of course not. Molly Hooper may experience a great many things, but she did not get excited because of a handsome customer who promises to keep showing up at her place of employment.

Yeah, right.

"I'm glad to hear it...Sherlock."

Those beautiful blue-green eyes and slight smirk held her captivated until he turned and left the store. Molly giggled a little and sat on the stool by the counter. He said he'd be back. That settled it. When she got home, she'd text Mary and ask if she could do a few more shifts this week...


End file.
